A Black Texas Woman Accused of Voter Fraud Has Lost Her Bid for a Retrial, Faces Five Years in Prison

This week, a Texas judge declined a black woman’s request for a retrial, after she was sentenced to five years in prison for voter fraud. Crystal Mason, 43, has maintained that she did not know she was barred from voting because of her felony and probation status, and made an honest mistake. The backstory: Mason served a 60-month sentence for tax fraud, and was released in early 2016. She attempted to cast her ballot in the 2016 presidential election at her local church, but was told that her name had been purged from the voter rolls when she went to prison, so she filed a provisional ballot. Neither her probation officer nor the election worker at her polling place informed Mason that her status barred her from voting. Despite the fact that her provisional ballot was never counted, Mason was indicted last year for voter fraud. The charge is a second-degree felony, and is punishable by up to to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Mason waived her right to a jury trial, assuming the judge would dismiss her case as a common misunderstanding. But in March, State District Judge Ruben Gonzalez found Mason guilty of illegal voting in Tarrant County, and sentenced her to five years in prison. Mason asked for a new trial, and was rejected on Monday. She plans to appeal the decision to a higher court. Mason has maintained that she did not know she was barred her from voting in the presidential election…. [Read full story]